London 2012 Olympics: 1 year to go

I was in Trafalgar Square to see the party that the Mayor of London celebrates 1 year to go to London 2012 Olympics.

The crowd has just started when I arrived in this square. The ceremony isn't for another hour and a half, and people are already coming here. A lot of our work is about here the spaces are going to be where people can enjoy us.

2012 Olympic countdown clock visit

I was in Trafalgar Square last week, I have chance to go around London because we have a longer day the sun sets at 9:30PM so I could visit the countdown clock London 2012 Olympic Games. It all looked like an advertisement for Omega, but as it turns out, not a very good one perhaps.

A 6.5m-high structure, which is in a prominent position in Trafalgar Square. The timepiece, which has become a traditional fixture for Olympic host cities and is made by sponsor Omega, stalled reading 437 days, 23 hours, 20 minutes and 7 seconds to go until the opening ceremony.

The launch of the Omega countdown clock is an important milestone for any Olympic Games and is something of a tradition within the Olympic movement. It will be a daily and hourly reminder to everyone who visits Trafalgar Square that the countdown to the start of London 2012 has well and truly begun and that the greatest show on earth is soon coming in the UK.

Britain's Top 10 Olympic Sites

You can visit many of them before the Games to discover Britain’s sporting heritage, take a tour or get involved in sport yourself.

Olympic Park, East London
The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics may still be a little way away, but work is well under way at the Olympic park in East London. The site includes an 80,000 seat Olympic stadium, an aquatics centre and a velodrome.

Weymouth & Portland Harbour, Dorset
Will be the venue for the 2012 sailing and Paralympic sailing competitions. Weymouth and Portland Harbour provides some of the best natural sailing waters in Britain and during the Games you’ll be able to watch the action for free.

Horse Guards Parade, London
Beach volley ball comes to 10 Downing Street! That’s right – the high-energy beach sport will take place on Horse Guards Parade, the parade ground for the Queen’s bodyguards that’s next door to the Prime Minister’s house.

Football stadiums, UK-wide
The London 2012 football competitions will be held at stadiums throughout the country. Catch the games at Hampden Park in Glasgow; Millennium Stadium in Cardiff; Old Trafford in Manchester; St James’ Park in Newcastle; Villa Park in Birmingham and Wembley Stadium in London, where the finals will take place.

Lord’s Cricket Ground, London
Lord’s Cricket Ground in North West London will be transformed into an archery range for 2012. Crowds of 6,500 will enjoy the competition with two fields of play inside the stadium.

Hyde Park, London
Will host the triathlon course in 2012. Triathlon is among the fastest-growing individual sports in the UK, and thousands of people will line the route to spectate for free during the races.

North Greenwich Arena, London
You probably know the North Greenwich Arena as the O2 Arena. During the Games, it will seat 20,000 spectators for the basketball final and 16,500 for the gymnastics. Outside the Olympics, this huge dome by the Thames hosts pop concerts and is home to the British Music Experience, the interactive, immersive celebration of UK pop.

Lee Valley White Water Centre, London
The White Water Centre that will host the London 2012 Olympic canoe slalom competition opens to the public on 22 April. It’s the only brand new London 2012 venue that non-Olympic competitors will be able to use before the Games.

Wimbledon, London
Will be used for the tennis competition at the 2012 Games. Up to 30,000 people will be able to watch the players compete. The sacred turf of Wimbledon’s Centre Court has seen some of the greatest tennis matches ever played.

Greenwich Park, London
Will host the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian competitions, plus the combined running and shooting event of the modern pentathlon. The park has got to have one of the best-looking riverside locations in London and is home to the Royal Observatory, the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian of the World, making it the official starting point for each new day and year.

London 2012 tickets 'second most expensive' in history

Top-tier hospitality seats for the 2012 Olympics will be the second most expensive in the history of sport, according to a report.

The Mail on Sunday claims that 'Prestige' seats to watch the most popular events at the Games will cost an eye-watering £5,400 per person. Only the £5,500 top-price hospitality tickets to the 2011 Super Bowl have been more expensive.

And it can get even more expensive; getting the best tickets to the opening ceremony pushes the price up to an astronomical £270,000, as anyone wishing to see one of the two ceremonies must also buy tickets to the other, and four more A-rated events.

The high prices of tickets for the Games have already come under fire from some of the athletes themselves, with many seats to events such as athletics and cycling to cost well over £100.